How popular are the Olympics? I mean seriously who actually talks about the Olympics prior to the January of the year we know the Olympics will be held in? I know I don’t. I’m sure most people don’t either. The only thing I really thought was interesting about the Olympics was the year Jamaica had their bobsled team in the games. Which I only learned about from the movie Cool Runnings .The 2012 Olympics were quite interesting for a two reasons: the very handsome Michel Phelps announced he had participated in his last Olympics and Gabrielle Douglas.
In class we talked a lot about gymnastics and the hard work little girls put in to be the “best”. In the book, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes we discussed how intense the training was and how the little girls were mostly not allowed to have a childhood. Those children in the book lived at gymnastics practice. Injuries were seen as minimal and did not excuse the children from training. A child after the age of 16 is considered “past her prime”. Most sports teams believe they train hard but the sport of gymnastics has them all beat.
In correlation with Olympics the film, Fists of Freedom highlighted a very important movement in the African American community. In the Olympics games of 1968 two African American track runners (Tommie Smith and John Carlos) won gold and once they took the stand on the podium, they shot their fists in the air. This gesture was later seen as the symbol of “Black Power”. Smith and Carlos are still known to this day for their brave action on that day at the Olympics. From this you can see and remember African Americans place in sports were in the back. If they were good, then maybe they got a little more recognition. Also, African Americans are mainly known for their speed in track and their talent on the basketball court. African Americans are not thought to be fast swimmers, ice skaters or efficient gymnast. Hence the reason Jamaica’s bobsled team was tormented so badly. But in 2012 Gabby changed all that.
Michel Phelps caught my attention after the 2008 Olympics, where he won all those medals and right after he became recognized by everyone including my favorite sandwich establishment Subway. But no one caught America’s attention in 2012 more than Gabrielle Douglas. Gabby was on the USA team in London where they won a gold medal and she individually won a gold medal for her routine. After that win, all of America was like, “Who is Gabrielle Douglas?” “Where did she come from?”and “Is she really black?” Before Gabby got back to America she already had endorsements worth over 100 million dollars. It is evident that African American Olympic winners can prove society wrong and advance in bobsled games and take home two gold medals in gymnastics. African Americans are no longer sticking to where society deems fit for them.
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